Labor party promise to work on a future high school at North Rothbury with Huntlee developers

A looming state election has given residents of the Hunter’s newest town plenty of bargaining power to push for a new high school. See what it means for students here.

There is a push for new primary and high schools at Huntlee or surrounding areas to cater for the population growth. Istock

It’s the Hunter region’s newest town, forecast for a future population of around 20,000 residents, but with that comes a desperate need for infrastructure, which some new residents say is just not happening.

The push is on for a new primary and high school at Huntlee or surrounding areas, as a petition circulates with more than 500 signatures and growing.

And with the state election looming, residents are using the timing to add increased pressure on the issue.

“It’s only getting bigger the area,” Petition organiser and mum-of-three Lee-Anne Moore said.

“The Government knows it has massive growth, that’s what’s so frustrating, the contrast between them declaring the second stage of Huntlee as a state significance so they can fast track further development there but not providing the services that are needed.”

A house under construction at Huntlee. Picture by Peter Lorimer.

Lee-Anne Moore and her family. She started a petition for a primary and high school to be urgently build at Huntlee or surrounds to cater for growing number of students. Supplied.

So far Labor have been the ones to come to the party, their election sweetener a promise of commencement of work on a future high school at North Rothbury.

At this stage there’s no dollar amount on that promise, but rather hoping talks with developers will be fruitful about a block of land earmarked for a potential school site.

“The developer still has to bring it to market so it’s still partially cleared bushland at the moment,” Cessnock MP Clayton Barr said.

Clayton Barr MP, Member for Cessnock, is backing a push for a new high school at North Rothbury.

“At the same time getting the design team in there, doing some exploration of the subsurface and doing core drillings so we can put together a price, and that commitment will come after we have all that information available.

“We’re going to crack on with it.”

Mr Barr is adamant nearby schools, that are seeing an intake of students from Huntlee, are overflowing as they try to accommodate for the boom.

“We already have Rutherford High School over capacity, so as we bring these thousands of new housing sites into the market and people build and relocate there, it’s going to put incredible and unsustainable amount of pressure on Rutherford and there has to be a new school to match the massive development,” he said.

“In the future Huntlee will absolutely have enough people and students to run two schools. The growth corridor is really from Rutherford, out into Lochinvar, and out into Greta and Branxton.”

Mum-of-three Amye Ball has been a Huntlee resident since 2018, with the promise that the up and coming town would have schools for her kids to attend close by.

Zoned for Rutherford High School, her 12-year-old son actually instead travels hours each day to attend Hunter Sports High at Gateshead, while her 10-year-old daughter attends Branxton Primary School, which she says is also at capacity.

“We do need a high school, closest is Rutherford High and it is full,” she explained.

Huntlee resident Amye Ball and her three children. She's pushing for a primary and high school at Huntlee to cater for future growth. Supplied.

“They need to have one close by.

“When we bought our block we were told it was coming, then there’s no plans.

“It’s frustrating because you want your children to go to school where they’re growing up.”

Ms Moore added that some nearby schools are also difficult to access, with lengthy travel times.

“Rutherford while it is only a 20 minute drive by car, my children will have to leave home at 7am to catch a bus, to then transfer to a different bus in time for school and won’t be getting home until after 5.30pm which is a long day,” she said.

“The State Government has approved 7500 houses to be built there (Huntlee), and needs to meet the education needs of those families. This issue impacts families in both Cessnock and Upper Hunter electorates.

“So grateful that the Labor party understands how urgently we need a high school in the area. Hopefully the National Party can see how important it is.”

But a Liberal Nationals Government believes there’s no problem, and that’s based on the statistics.

“Based on the latest population data, including long-term growth, for the Huntlee area, the current schools in the area can meet the educational needs of primary and secondary school students,” Minister for Education and Early Learning Sarah Mitchell said.

“We’ve also made sure that as the community continues to grow in the future, we have a site within the Huntlee development for a potential future school.”

The Department of Education currently has a State Voluntary Planning Agreement in place with Huntlee developers to provide a dedicated school site.

In a statement to The Newcastle News, the Department explained it would also accommodate for student growth a number of other ways by restricting out of area enrolments, providing additional demountables and major school upgrades.